The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Though the Germans had discovered the use and importance, shortly followed by America & the UK, of the APC in the Second World War, it was the Russians who evolved the APC into the Infantry Fighting Vehicle with the introduction of their BMP-1 in 1967.

The BMP-1 saw action through the 70’s and beyond the millennium. It was through the combat experiences of the 70’s and the impending introduction of the new German Marder that the BMP-1’s replacement the BMP-2 had gone into development by 1972 and continued through out the 70’s.

The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

The BMP-2 saw the introduction of a new powerful engine and turret, housing a new replacement to the old 73mm cannon, a 30mm 2A42 auto cannon with dual ammunition feeds. It has two rates of fire, between 200 to 300per/min in slow or 500per/min in fast. The cannon has a better elevation of up to 75deg. giving it a strong anti-helicopter capability with a range of 2000 – 4000m’s. The old 9K11 Malyutka ATGM, which was very unpopular with the crews as they had to fire and guided it from the exposed position of the top of the turret was replaced with the 9M113 Konkurs ATGM, which enabled it to be fired from the safety of inside the turret with a maximum range of 4000m. The turret is also fitted with 6 smoke grenade launchers and a co-axially mounted 7.62mm MG.

The new turret saw changes to the crew and infantry troops. It mean’t that it could only carry 7 instead of the original 8 of the BMP-1 and the commander was moved into the turret. (Commander sits on the right and gunner on the left, with the driver on the left at the front).

The new turret also meant that the four original hatches at the top of the hull, used by the infantry troops for dismounting was reduced to two. Three troops sit on each side of a central bench back-to-back, facing the hull walls and a firing port each. The seventh trooper sits behind the driver.

The vehicles armour is appliqué steel and highly susceptible to all modern anti-tank munitions, inc 50 cal. MG’s as ERA, which is highly used on Russian tracked fighting vehicles, can’t be used as it poses a danger to the dismounting infantry.

Unlike its NATO counter-parts, the BMP-2 was fully amphibious with the only preparation being a thin buoyancy board at the front. It was propelled by its tracks and fitted with bilge pumps.

The BMP-2 was manufactured in Russia, the former Czechoslovakia and India where it was designated Sarath, who produced a number of variants.

Combat History:

Conflict

Date

Angolan Civil War

1975 – 2000

The Soviet war in Afghanistan

1979 – 1988

The Iran-Iraq War

1980 – 1988

The Gulf war

1990 – 1991

The first Chechen War

1994 – 1996

The current on-going Chechen War

1999 – to present

The War on terror in Afghanistan

2001 – present

The invasion of Iraq

2003

South Ossetia War

2008

Known Operators up to 2005:

Operator

number

Operator

number

Operator

number

Abkhazia

U-KN

Georgia

210

Slovakia

93

Afghanistan

550

India

1500

Sri Lanka

375

Albania

13

Iran

400

Sudan

6

Algeria

225

Indonesia

40

Syria

100

Angola

250

Jordan

35

Tajikistan

25

Armenia

78

Kazakhstan

300

Togo

20

Azerbaijan

96

Kuwait

46

Turkmenistan

930

Belarus

1164

Kyrgyzstan

101

Uganda

19

Bulgaria

114

Republic of Macedonia

10

Ukraine

1434

Czech Republic

186

Russia

3250

Uzbekistan

172

Finland

110

Sierra Leone

2

Yemen

334

Former USSR / Russian BMP-2 Variants:

The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Variant:

Characteristics:

BMP-2 1982

Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

BMP-2 1984

Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle with added kovriki armour on the front of the turret.

BMP-2 1986

Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle with a new BPK-2-42 gunners sight.

BMP-2D

Added on spaced armour for the Soviet war in Afghanistan, with the option of front mounted mine clearance equipment.

ATGM tank destroyer. It is turret less, with a launcher on a retractable arm that houses four Nag HEAT ATGM’s with an operational range of 4000m.

Akash

Air-defence vehicle with a SAM missile launcher (houses three missiles).

Rajendra

Radar (air) detection vehicle.

Carrier Mortar Tracked Vehicle

Turret less with a 81mm mortar operated and fired from inside the hull. It has a range of 5000m and carries 108 mortar rounds.

The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle entered service in 1981 (originally designated the BMP 1981) and was first publicly displayed in a military parade in Moscow in 1982. Despite combating a number of flaws of the BMP-1, the BMP-2 field some new ones. Its low profile mean’t the fuel tank was fitted under the bench of the infantry troops and in their rear two doors, providing a larger target for a SABOT round to strike. The 30mm gun also had problems. Firstly if the fast rate of fire was used then the turret crew became over whelmed with fumes from the gun. Also it could take up to two hours to refill the dual ammunition feeds.